The pacing of a course refers to how course teams run the course, and how
learners can interact with the course material. Many courses are instructor-
paced: they follow a schedule that the instructor sets, with assignments and
exams that have specific due dates. In contrast, self-paced courses contain
assignments without due dates. You can progress through the course at your own
speed.

On the edx.org home page, an indication below a course’s start date and above
the course’s Enroll Now button lets you know if a course is self-paced. If
a course is not marked as self-paced, then it is instructor-paced.

Instructor-paced courses follow a set schedule. The course team sets specific
due dates for assignments and exams, and you complete the course within a
defined time period, such as eight or twelve weeks.

Course materials become available at specific times as the course progresses.
Assignments have due dates, and exams have start and end dates. In the course
outline on the Course page, indicators show when you have a graded
assignment, as well as the due date for the assignment.

In most instructor-paced courses, certificates are generated within two weeks
of the end of the course.

Self-paced courses do not follow a set schedule. Course materials are
completely available as soon as the course begins. Assignments and exams do
not have start or due dates. The course shows indicators for graded
assignments, but not due dates. You can complete assignments and exams at your
own pace, as long as you complete all course work before the course ends.

In most self-paced courses, the course team generates certificates on a
schedule, such as once a month. The certificate generation schedule varies by
course.